The misfiring of a missile that landed in Pakistan on March 9 was caused by a technical error, India said on Friday. Islamabad called the Indian Charge d’Affaires and issued a strong protest against the incident, prompting New Delhi’s response. “A technological breakdown during routine maintenance resulted in the inadvertent discharge of a missile.” In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, “The Government of India has taken a serious stance and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry.”
Missile launched was very unfortunate
“It has been learned” that the missile landed in Pakistan, and the occurrence was “very unfortunate,” according to the Ministry of Defense, which added, “It is also a matter of relief that no lives have been lost as a result of the accident.” In a press release, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said India should probe the event, which occurred about 6.50 p.m. on Wednesday, and warned that such developments could have “unpleasant consequences.”
“It was explained to the Indian diplomat that the rash launch of the flying item not only caused damage to civilian property but also put human lives on the ground in jeopardy,” the statement said. The object’s flight path, possibly a surface-to-surface supersonic missile, posed a threat to civil aviation in Pakistan, according to Islamabad.
Incidents of irresponsibility’
“Such irresponsible incidents reflect India’s disrespect for air safety as well as its callous disregard for regional peace and stability,” the statement stated. The reported incident was brought up by the Pakistani side late Thursday evening during a briefing by the Pakistani military’s spokesperson, who claimed that the item travelled at an altitude of 40,000 feet and that the hit site was nowhere near any vital military installations.
The statement issued on Friday asked India to take “effective measures to prevent future transgressions.” According to Pakistan, the item collided with civilian property on the ground but did not result in any human casualties.
At the moment, the Indian mission in Islamabad is without a High Commissioner. Ajay Bisaria, the previous High Commissioner, was removed after Pakistan lowered ties following India’s abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Questions about the incident have yet to be answered by the Ministry of External Affairs.